Don't know the answer to your question about the protective stuff, never heard of it. As far as to when a pipe is hot enough, I try and time it. Another good indicator I would think is when it starts smoking. Every time this happens, a buddy of mine says it's plenty hot. And the smell is pretty distinct.
Shane ----- Original Message ----- From: Tom Fowle To: [email protected] Sent: Sunday, May 25, 2008 9:48 AM Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] soldering questions Shane, My worry with the paste method is that you havn't any good way to know that you've melted the solder with the pipe not with the flame. In electronics at any rate, that leads to cold joints which are weak and non-conductive. In plumbing I'd worry about weakness. Feeling the solder get melted by contact with the pipe is critical to know the pipe is actually up to temperature. I believe Dale describes actually removing the flame before applying solder. That way you really know the pipe is hot enough. but if it works, I ain't gonna send out the soldering cops! <GRIN> As for the acid, I bet it's nasty. Would this be a use for that goop you can put on hands as a protective instead of gloves? You wouldn't want to use plastic gloves for fear of melting them onto your hands. <OUCH!> Tom [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
